The Reason
by Loolabelle
Summary: For every action there is a reason and equal reaction. This is...different, I promise. SHORTSWEET AND COMPLETE! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! It has been awhile since I posted. I hope you like this. PLEASE review! This idea was stolen partly from NeverEnding Story, I admit- I am a thief! R&R!---Loo

Disclaimer- If I owned them, do you think I would be working to pay for tuition?

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"Dammit, Daniel! Come on!" Jack yelled. There was no response and he sighed gruffly. "I'm going to get Daniel. Meet you at the Gate in 10." He said into his walkie-talkie.

"Yes, sir." With that Jack entered the cave to find to promptly drag out his errant archaeologist.

"Here somewhere…gotta be…maybe over here…it's here, I know it is…" Daniel mumbled to himself as Jack approached.

"What is here?" the Colonel asked suspiciously. Daniel gave no indication of having heard him, continuing his mumbling and searching of the wall. "Daniel, what is here that is so important that we are going to be late getting home?" Jack tried again. Dainel paused in his pacing and reached out, pressing a hidden button in the wall. Jack grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back just as the wall began to shake violently. The two men moved to the far side of the cave until the shuddering had ceased. Jack was coughing and waving his hand around, trying to disperse the dust, but Daniel walked forward to the opened hole now exposed.

"There is it." The younger man breathed reverently.

"Forgive me, Daniel, but what the hell is it?" Jack coughed, moving up to see what Daniel was jabbering about. In front of him was an ornate pedestal with a bright, glowing, orange sphere perched precariously on top. "It looks like a basketball." He observed.

"No, Jack. This is much more than a basketball." Daniel muttered and stepped closer. "This is the completion of our standing orders."

"What are you talking about, Daniel?" Our standing orders are to find technology and weapons capable to protect Earth from the Goa'uld and other unforeseen enemies." Jack recited and Daniel nodded spastically.

" I know that, Jack. This may be it. It said that it is 'The saver of lives.'" He said, inspecting the sphere. "It looks possibly Ancient, but I'll have to look at it more closely back at the…" Daniel didn't get to finish his sentence as he reached out and touched the sphere. Jack wasn't close enough to stop him.

"Daniel, NO!" Jack yelled, but it was too late. The orange ball turned to a magnificent shade of blue, electricity licking out at them. One tendril caught Daniel and plunged into his chest. Jack had just caught Daniel's arm and, unseen, the electricity traveled through Daniel's body and connected with Jack's. Both men seized violently, unable to break away and their world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jack, where are we?" Daniel asked, now able to move. He could see the Colonel beside him, searching for his weapons. Looking down, Daniel saw that he was stripped of any and all equipment, and left only in his pants,and black t-shirt. Even his shoes, socks, and glasses were gone. They were in complete darkness except for a single light above them, source unknown. It encompassed only them.

"Beats me, Danny. But I don't like it." Jack muttered, looking around him, trying to see anything at all.

"I cant see past 3 feet beyond us." Daniel commented, taking a hesitant step forward. He was surprised to see the light expand around him, then shrink as he stepped back to his previous spot.

"Hello!" Jack called loudly, receiving no answer. Eerily, there was no echo whatsoever, giving them no idea what kind of room or place they were in.

"I'm not sure there is anyone here, Jack." Daniel said, playing in the expanding and shrinking light. Jack grabbed the back of his jacket, stilling him with a growl.

"Daniel, would you stand still until we figure out where we are." The Colonel snapped, then both men froze as a soft voice spoke.

"You are here." Said the quiet, childlike voice. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from, as it seemes to come from everywhere at once.

"Well, we're not alone." Daniel murmured, looking around. "Um, my name is Da…"

"Daniel Nicholas Jackson. I know." The voice spoke with a slight giggle, much to the men's surprise.

"Uh, yeah." Daniel replied weakly and Jack looked at him in surprise.

"You're named after Nick?"

"Yes." Daniel spat. "This is…" he was trying to control the situation by introducing Jack, but one again the voice interrupted him.

"Jonathan Charles O'Neill." The voice said and Daniel looked at Jack in surprise. He didn't know that Jack's middle name was Charles.

"We are peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth. We meant no harm to anyone by coming here." He said, turning from Jack. "We would like to meet you, learn about your race and culture, if we may."

"No" the childlike voice said hesitantly.

"Helpful kid." Jack said sarcastically and Daniel shot him a glare.

"We will not hurt you." Daniel promised. There was a long, indecisive pause, as if the child were thinking.

"Alright." He said and the light around the began to expand.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks guys for your reviews! They are helping me post faster and add more as I go. This is, admittedly, not much longer. Keep R&R!---Loo

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The light around them expanded slowly until it had a circumference of about 10 feet. A boy of about 8 years old stepped forward and nodded to them with a soft smile. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, his startling blue eyes looking at them easily. He wore a long black robe that trailed behind him and his arms were folded and tucked into the long sleeves. He reminded Daniel of Shifu somehow.

"My name is Lacol." He nodded. "What is your reason for your presence?"

"We did not intend to come here." Daniel tried to explain.

"You touched the Orb of Light. You must have a reason." Lacol said with a frown of confusion.

"Look, we touched a glowing basketball, it turned blue, shocked us, and we found ourselves here. Now, if you don't mind, we would like to go back" Jack said, stepping forward.

"You do not know of your reason, yet. Perhaps you should have some time to think on it." Lacol suggested, turning to leave.

"Wait! Please!" Daniel cried and Lacol turned back. "We have no reason to be here. Our arrival was an accident."

"You could not have arrived here without a reason." Lacol stated gently and smiled. "But, as you seem to be confused, I shall explain." He moved to stand closer to them. "There is a reason for all who come here. An incident, or lack of, that has passed in one's life. This incident has caused you great pain. You must decide what that incident is."

"And then what?" Jack asked.

"And then you will choose." Lacol smiled even wider.

"Choose what?" he growled, wanting some straight-forward answers on how to leave this place.

"You choose whether to correct it or not." Lacol answered.

"Ok, what's the catch?" Jack asked warily.

"First, you must determine your reason. Then I will explain further." The boy said, once again turning to leave. Daniel and Jack looked at each other, trying to discern the best course of action.

"Jack, this could be our chance to get them back." Daniel said quietly and Jack frowned.

"Daniel, you don't know the other end of the bargain. Who knows what the catch is." He pointed out.

"So, we ask Lacol. If the price is too high, then we wont choose to correct it." Daniel shrugged. "Come on, Jack. You said if there was any way…"

"I know what I said, Daniel." Jack snapped, then sighed and lowered his voice again. "But I don't know if this is the way to do it. There just isn't enough information."

"Well, we will ask Lacol for some more details. Maybe he can explain it to us in more detail." Daniel said and turned toward the darkness that the boy disappeared into. "Lacol! We are ready for you to explain the rest."

"Indeed. It is time." Lacol said, stepping back into the light. He moved to stand in front of the men and bowed his head. "You are ready to choose your reason?"

"Yes." Daniel said, bowing his head back. Jack just watched from behind his friend, not happy about the change of events at all. He knew it could only get worse from here.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright. What is your reason, Daniel Jackson?" Lacol asked quietly, a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Not long ago, I lost two people very close to me. Their…departure…has caused me great pain and I would like to correct that." Daniel said.

"But, we want the story. The whole story, with all the details of what the catches are." Jack piped up.

"Of course, Jack O'Neill." Lacol nodded."Once you have decided that you choose to correct the incident that has occurred, it shall be fixed. As for the 'catch' that you inquire about, it is simple. Once you request has been granted, a single thing will be taken from you. This is different for all, and unpredictable. It could be a memory, a loss of emotion for someone, a drop of blood, etc. Nothing severe, I assure you. Mine, in particular, was quite harmless."

"Oh, and what was that?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"I cannot tell you." Lacol replied gently and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Of course not. Well, thanks anyway, but I think we'll pass. Come on, Dan…"

"I'll do it." Daniel said quickly and Jack froze.

"You cannot be serious!" The Colonel cried incredulously.

"Jack, this could be our only chance. Sacrificing something as small as blood or…or a memory for the lives of two people…especially these two that mean so much...no contest." Daniel turned back to Lacol. "I choose to correct me incident."

"Daniel, I don't think this is a good idea. You know how much Doc covets our blood- she wants it all for herself." Jack warned seriously. Daniel ignored him and continued to look at Lacol.

"It shall be, Daniel Jackson. Farewell to you both." Lacol nodded and with that backed into the surrounding darkness. Jack and Daniel felt electricity surging through them and doubled over, seizing violently again.

The next thing they knew, they were waking up in the infirmary. Daniel had a slight headache, but Jack sat straight up, shocked at who was standing in front of him. Sam and Teal'c surrounded the two beds, along with Janet and General Hammond. Daniel looked at Sam and Teal'c and smiled brightly.

"It worked, Jack. They're home."

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This is not the end. I have one chapter left. Oooooh, you are going to hate me for this!  ---Loo 


	5. Chapter 5

Ok, guys, this is my last chapter. If you want a sequel, you had better give me some ideas, cause I have no idea where to go from here. I hope you like it. R&R!---Loo

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"Colonel, would you care to explain what happened? Five hours ago, Captain Miller and Major Lewis came through the gate alone, then Major Carter and Teal'c appeared two hours ago in the gate room." The general said and Jack looked at Teal'c and Sam.

"What happened with you two? What do you remember?" the Colonel asked.

"The last thing I remember was being on PXY-284. Something went wrong, but I don't know what." Sam answered, sitting on the bed beside Daniel. "Next thing I know, we are in the Gate room and everyone is in shock."

"I concur." Teal'c boomed from the foot of Jack's bed.

"You two died on that planet, 4 months ago." Daniel said quietly, still shaken at the memory of losing two of his closest friends.

"Colonel, how did you do this?" the General asked again.

"It wasn't exactly me, sir. It was Daniel. We were on Px…whatever, he found a glowing basketball and touched it." Jack began with a touch of anger towards Daniel, who didn't seem to care less. "We met some kid, Larne or something like that. He said that, for a price, we could change something about our past. Danny here decided that he wanted to bring Carter and T back, and here we are."

"What kind of price?" Janet jumped in, having stood back and listened to the conversation.

"A drop of blood, a memory, something like that." Daniel said, waving off her concerns. "I feel fine. Bit of a headache, but we did get the crap shocked out of us."

"Well, I intend to do more tests on you all, though I must admit, you all seem in perfect health." The Doctor replied. Loud arguments filled the air from her patients and she held up her hands. "If I don't find anything, I will release you all tomorrow." At that, the cries died down and remained at grumblings.

The next night, the newly reformed SG1 sat at Jack's house, drinking beer. They were all still in shock over the turn of events, but more elated to be back together once more.

"I cant believe you took that kind of chance, Daniel. You should have known better." Sam berated her friend, who simply shrugged.

"Eh, what's a little blood or memory? I feel fine- there is nothing wrong with me at all. Besides, it's nothing you wouldn't have done given the chance." He pointed out and she sighed.

"Alright, what was your high school locker combination?" Jack asked and Daniel rolled his eyes.

"3-14-10"

"What is the name of your goldfish?"

"Winken, Blinken, and Nod. Cassie named them."

"Alright, what is my dog's name?"

"You don't have a dog, Jack."

"We are touched that, out of the numerous reasons in your life, we were your chosen reason, DanielJackson." Teal'c said, interrupting the interrogation before it could get out of hand, and bowed his head, which Daniel gladly returned.

"Oh, come on, guys. What else would I have chosen?" Daniel laughed.

"Maybe that time that I knocked over that rock in your office last month. You took that pretty hard, Danny." Jack joked from the armchair. Daniel smirked at him.

"As tempting as it is, I think Sam and Teal'c were more important." The younger man grinned. Jack nodded silently, then bowed out of the conversation, still trying to figure out what Daniel's cost had been. There was something in the younger man's eyes that was different, and a small knot began to grow in Jack's chest.

"Seriously, though, Daniel. There is no telling what you could have lost, and yet, you still chose to do it- and you chose us. I mean, you could have chosen your parents." Sam pointed out and Daniel lowered his head.

"I know, but I have moved on. I hadn't moved on from you two dying. I couldn't have, I don't think." He admitted quietly. Jack felt a pang of sympathy, knowing his friend's pain. It had almost killed him, too, losing them. But he didn't voice his emotions, only continued trying to ignore the growing knot.

"You could have chosen Sha're and Ska'ra." Sam continued, and that was when the knot tightened. Jack was almost sick to the point of losing his dinner as Daniel's reply came with a confused, unfeeling expression.

"Who?"

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Ok, how did you like it? Really? Was the ending twist good? I hope you got it. If not- Daniel's cost was forgetting Sha're and Ska'ra. He gave up two people for two others. Good? Bad? Horrible? Am I going to hell for the mere thought of having Daniel forget his wife and brother in-law? FEEDBACK! PLEASE!---Loo 


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